


tell me how to love again

by Ravens_World



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Memory Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-05
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24560404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravens_World/pseuds/Ravens_World
Summary: "You're dangerous!""I am," Michael agreed, calm in a way he really shouldn't be, considering the fact that he had a gun pointed at his head.And Alex was holding the gun.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Comments: 35
Kudos: 229





	tell me how to love again

**Author's Note:**

> I currently have five WIPs, and instead of writing for any of them, what does my brain come up with? 5.5k about the possibility of Alex losing his memory. A theory which I, by the way, was never on board with.
> 
> I skip a lot of things without an explanation here, because I honestly don't know where the hell anything on this show is going, so be warned that there's angst, fluff, some comfort and very minimal amount of plot.
> 
> Happy reading!

"You're _dangerous_!"

"I am," Michael agreed, calm in a way he really shouldn't be, considering the fact that he had a gun pointed at his head.

And Alex was holding the gun.

This wasn't his Alex, though. This Alex thought all aliens were dangerous. This Alex was working with his father and had already captured Max and Isobel. This Alex was holding a gun to Michael's head and his hands didn't shake, not even for a millisecond. This Alex looked at him, and saw a murder, an enemy.

This Alex looked at him, and he didn't see someone he loved but someone he feared.

Michael knew this was it. There was only one way he'd be able to get past Alex, and that was if he used his powers, which were currently suppressed. He was going to die, and Alex was gonna be the one to kill him.

_If someone's going to destroy me, might as well be you._

He remembered saying that, and meaning it. He also remembered thinking it would come back to bite him in the ass someday.

"You've killed over a dozen people. You, Max and Isobel have been destroying this town little by little. My brother is dead because of you," he spat, and there was a look of rage, of hatred, that just didn't belong on his face, especially not when he was looking at Michael. It killed him to know it was aimed at him.

A few days ago, he'd thought he couldn't hate Jesse and Flint Manes any more, but they'd managed to prove him wrong. 

He would never understand how either of them could so callously take away Alex's agency, his memories, just to punish Michael because he didn't do their bidding, and because it got Alex out of their way and on their side. 

"I should kill you right now," Alex told him, voice almost robotic. It made Michael pause, because he knew that tone. Alex was trying to hide something, was trying to act unaffected. But Michael was beginning to see the cracks in his facade. He could see that he was rattled. "You're dangerous." 

Hope blossomed in Michael's chest. Alex sounded like he was trying to convince himself of what he was saying, and wasn't being successful. 

"I've never killed anyone, Alex, not once," he whispered, his eyes never leaving his face. 

The gun shook, and his grip on it wavered. He shook his head in frustration. "Why do I believe you? And why the hell can't I pull the _goddamn_ _trigger_?!"

Michael let out a breath, and he had to bite his lower lip to keep from smiling. 

"Because some part of you remembers me, Alex. Because you loved me once. And you promised you'd keep me safe," his voice cracked without his permission and he tried, desperately, to not let any other cracks show.

Alex closed his eyes and Michael held his breath. His heart sank when Alex's eyes opened and they were distant, cold. 

This was it. He was going to die here. 

His eyes roamed Alex's face hungrily, trying to memorize it; if he was going to die tonight, he wanted the last thing he saw to be Alex, even if he was the one to kill him. 

Michael closed his eyes, and seconds later, there was the sound of a gunshot. Michael waited for the impact, waited for the pain, but neither came. 

His eyes shot open just as he heard a strangled scream. Michael's breath was knocked out of him when he saw Alex on his knees, holding onto his shoulder and clenching his jaw so tight that Michael wondered why he couldn't hear the sound of his teeth grinding together. He looked around wildly to see who had shot him, but there was no one. 

And that was when it dawned on him.

"Alex, _what the hell?!_ " 

His only answer was a gasp. He rushed forward and dropped to his knees in front of him. The other man was taking deep, controlled breaths, and he could see how much pain the airman was in. "You stupid fucking idiot. Why would you shoot yourself?"

"You have to go," he informed him, breathless. "Go. I'll find you."

"How are you gonna explain this, huh? What if they hurt you?" A weird look took over his face, but it was gone before Michael could even attempt to decipher it. 

"I'll handle it. Now, go. If they find you here, we're both dead, Guerin."

"I'm not leaving you like this."

"Oh, you better. I didn't shoot myself just for you to ruin the whole thing by being a stubborn asshole," he snapped. "Now, _go_."

It killed Michael to leave Alex like that, hurt and bleeding, but he knew staying would put them both in danger. He walked backwards, not taking his eyes off him. "Don't you dare die on me, Manes."

All he got in answer was a lazy salute.  
....  
...  
..  
.

"Don't turn on the light."

" _Jesus christ_!" Michael was barely able to keep from embarrassingly falling on his ass. "Alex?!"

"Close the blinds, Guerin." Michael did what he told in a hurry, and then stood, dumbfounded, in the dark and stared at where he thought Alex was sitting. "You can turn on the lights now."

Michael chose to ignore the mocking tone and hit the light switch, bathing the inside of his airstream in a soft light. And there he was.

Alex was sitting with his back against the window and staring at him with a raised eyebrow. After two days of worrying himself about to death about him, he was a sught for sore eyes. Michael's eyes were automatically drawn to the sling and his chest tightened. "How's the shoulder?" 

"Fine. How's the head?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "Not the first time I'd been thrown into a wall by you, Manes," he leered suggestively and the answering combination of a raised eyebrow and an unimpressed look were so Alex that it startled a laugh out of him. 

Alex didn't actually smile, but Michael could see it in his eyes that he wanted to. 

"We need to talk." 

Michael sighed. "Okay."

Alex inhaled deeply and forced out a slow breath, his eyes straying from Michael for the first time since he got here. Michael watched him look around the airstream and felt old insecurities make their way to the surface. But the look on Alex's face wasn't one of judgment or superiority, it was curiousity, pure and simple. 

"I don't remember much," Alex started. "I don't know why, but I'm missing years of my life. Dad told me it was an alien that did it and I- I believed him. He showed me fotrage of what an alien did to Jim Valenti and I believed him. He showed me compelling evidence that you and Max and Isobel were involved in over a dozen murders, Michael. There was footage of you killing people. I- I dug further and found out most of it was fabricated."

Michael stood stock still and breathed evenly, let him work through whatever he needed. Alex looked like he hadn't slept in days, and he was practically vibrating, unable to sit still. "Have you been sleeping?"

"I drugged Max, dragged him into a cell myself." Michael flinched, and his heart squeezed at the thought of Max and Isobel's fate in Deep Sky's hands. "Did the same to Isobel, even."

" _Stop_."

Alex didn't. "It was wrong, and I felt it in my bones that I should be taking them away from the cells, not throwing them inside them, but I did it. I was capable of doing it. But you-" Alex swallowed and let out a shaky breath. "I almost had a fucking panic attack the first time I tried to take you in. I was relieved when you got away, Guerin. And the second time? I shot myself. For you."

"I know," Michael chocked out. He wanted to run as far away from Alex, but that was something he'd never been all that good at, so he stayed, and he listened.

"I don't know you," Alex laughed, almost hysterical."I don't have one single memory of you from before, but the the idea of hurting you feels- it feels _wrong_." 

"Alex-"

"Why don't I remember you?" Alex asked him desperately, lips trembling. He got up, and Michael found himself meeting him in the middle. Alex lifted a shaking hand to his face and Michael's eyes slammed shut at the touch. From the sharp intake of breath that came from Alex, he wasn't unaffected. "Why does touching you like this feel so familiar when I don't remember doing it before?"

Michael swayed close, their faces now inches apart. "Muscle memory. You might not remember me here-" he gently tapped his temple. Michael then slowly, and with great care, took Alex's hands in his and interlaced their fingers together. "-but your hands do." Alex closed the distance between them and pulled him into a bruising kiss. Michael didn't mind. The kiss was over before he could kiss back, and that, he did mind. "Your lips do," Michael whispered against his lips.

He expected him to put space between them, but to his surprise, Alex didn't go far. However, the few inches of space between them might as well have been an ocean now that Michael got a taste of him after going so long without. He cupped the other man's face in both hands and marveled at the fact that Alex was here. He'd been given a drug that erased years of his memories, and somehow, Michael was important enough to him that even though his mind forgot him, his body, his _soul_ , didn't. 

"What were we?"

Alex sounded lost, and Michael, for a second, contemplated lying to him. Telling him that they were happy, and together. But then he looked into Alex's dark eyes, filled with tears, and knew he owed him the truth. 

"Stupid. We were stupid, and we wasted a lot of time pushing and pulling each other. Never on the same page, and barely ever in the same book," Michael let out in a rush. "But we loved each other, so much that it hurt most of the time."

He pulled away further, tense. "Loved?" 

Michael laughed softly. "Love. Always. I love you, and I always will." 

Alex looked at him in awe and something inside Michael broke. "I'm sorry I can't say it back," he told him, sorrow painting every word.

Michael shook his head. "I know. You being here is enough. I love you. I'll keep saying it forever, Alex, even if you never say it back."

Alex smiled, shy and genuine. But then his smile dimmed and he looked down and his shoulders slumped. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" 

"Are Max and Isobel innocent?"

Michael didn't know how to answer that, but he tried anyway. "It's complicated. But- they never hurt anyone on purpose. We just want to live, Alex, to belong."

A couple of tears spilled out of his eyes and Michael didn't hesitate before he wiped them away. "It's not on you," he told him fiercely. "Your dad is a manipulative asshole. He made you believe you were doing the right thing."

Alex shook his head adamantly. "That's not an excuse. I knew- it felt wrong."

"Then will you help me save them?" 

Alex nodded, determined. "Yes."  
...  
..  
.  
"How'd you convince your dad that I actually shot you?"

"I was bleeding, Guerin."

He rolled his eyes. "I know that, Alex. I'm just wondering how he actually believed that I would shoot you."

"Guess I'm a good liar?"  
..

"How much do you actually remember?" 

"Bits and pieces. It's really vague and I guess I lost what could be over fifteen years?"

"That much?"

"Yeah."

"So, you don't remember your time in the war?"

"Almost nothing."

" _Good_."  
..

"When this is all over, what do you say we grab coffee together?"

"..."

"Or dinner?"

"Are you asking me what I think you're asking me, Alex?"

A shrug. A sly smile. "I'm asking you out on a date."

" _Yes_."  
....  
...  
..  
.  
"Michael? What the hell are you doing here?" Max exclaimed, hands tight around the bars of the small cell he was in. He sounded scared. 

"I'm here to break you out," he informed him. 

"Alone?" That one word alone contained more disapproval than it should've and he rolled his eyes.

"Not alone. Alex and Jenna are helping." 

Michael entered the first code Alex had given him, then the second one and waited for ten seconds to hear the beep.

" _Alex_?! Michael, he's the one who put us here in the first place."

"He's really sorry," he informed him, deadpan. 

Max rolled his eyes.

Michael got the door open and breathed a sigh of relief once Max was out. His brother drew him into a tight hug, and Michael returned it. He would never admit it, but he'd missed him like hell.

"Let's get out of here."

..

When they found them, both Isobel and Alex looked incredibly pissed off, and Jenna, walking between them, gave him a long-suffering look. 

"What happened?"

Jenna rolled her eyes when neither Alex nor Isobel volunteered an answer. "Isobel tried to either read Alex's mind, or melt his brain, he somehow knew what she doing and threatened to give her the neutralizing- serum thing and now they're both pissy."

"Well, excuse me for not believing that the guy who dragged me into the 2x4 cell was the one who wanted to get me out of it," Isobel snapped.

"I apologized for that," Alex hissed.

"Aww," Isobel cooed, "should I be falling at your knees and thanking you for that?" 

"You're not my type, Isobel."

Her mouth fell open and she would have stopped in her tracks if Jenna hadn't urged her along with a hand on her arm. "Screw you, Manes."

Alex smiled viciously. "Again, you're not my type."

Michael covered his laugh with a cough and resisted the urge to look back at Isobel. 

Max nudged him in the side. "What?" 

"What's the deal with you two?"

"Oh, you know."

"What does that even mean?" 

Michael rolled his eyes. "He doesn't remember me, but he somehow can remember that I'm important to him, so-"

"What?" Max asked flatly.

"I know, dude."

"So, he's helping us now?"

"Apparently."

"This isn't gonna end well, is it?"  
...  
..  
.  
Michael wasn't sure how, but they made it out alive and no one intercepted them. 

"Guerin."

Michael looked back at Alex who had stopped walking a few feet outside the compound, and his heart sank. "Alex?"

"I need to stay."

"Alex, no."

"It's the only way I can think of to protect you. _All_ of you."

Michael shook his head frantically. "No! I don't want you to protect me. I want you _with_ me."

Alex smiled, and though it should be comforting, it only made Michael more afraid. 

"I'm coming back to you, I promise. "

"You can't promise me that," he told him bitterly.

Alex closed the distance between them and cupped his face in his hands. "Watch me."

The airman pulled him into his arms and Michael wanted to stay there forever. They stood like that, arms tight around each other, cheek to cheek, and Michael breathed him in, tried to memorize what he smelled like. 

Michael pulled away. "Come back to me," he begged him, hands clutching his black t-shirt.

"I will. You owe me a date, Guerin."

Michael laughed wetly and pressed a kiss to his lips. Alex pulled him in closer and the kiss deepened, became softer. It tasted like a promise.

"I love you. I'll always love you, okay?"

Alex sniffled and looked away from him. "You might not, after all this is said and done."

"That's not possible."

"I might have to do things, Michael. Horrible things-"

Michael kissed him. "And I will still love you, even then."

Alex kissed him again, and this time, it tasted like a goodbye.  
....  
...  
..  
.  
* _3 Months Later_ *

When Michael saw the black SUV parked a few feet away from the airstream, he thought he was dreaming. But then he saw Alex, tired, but beautiful and real and realized he was wide awake. He took off in a run and slammed into the other man with such force that they both slammed into the side of the airstream with a dull thud. 

Michael didn't care. 

"You're here," he breathed out. "You're here."

Alex laughed wetly. "Yeah, I am. I promised, didn't I?"

"You did. It's over?" He mumbled the question in Alex's shoulder, but the other man heard him just fine.

"It's over."

Michael pulled away and dragged him by the hand through the door. The minute they were both inside, he had Alex on the bed. He impatiently took off his shirt, then helped Alex do the same before he put his knees on either side of Alex and just- took his fill. There was a new scar on his face, this one just underneath the old one, and Michael bent down and kissed them both. His lips traveled from his forehead to his eyelids, then both his cheeks. When their lips met, it felt like a breath of fresh air and a punch to the gut at the same time.

Michael pulled away and bracketed Alex's head with his hands on either side. He bent down and buried his nose in his neck, then pressed a kiss there. Then he traveled down, leaving a trail of kissed in his wake. "I missed you so much," he whispered against the skin of Alex's chest and felt his breath stutter in his chest.

Alex pulled him back up and kissed him again, and again, and again, each kiss more desperate than the last. His hands were suddenly everywhere, caressing his back, clinging onto his sides, sliding down his stomach, and then further down. 

Michael broke the kiss, and Alex's hands stilled. He rested his forehead on Alex's, and when their noses touched, Alex scrunched his.

And god, did Michael love this man. "I love you," he told him, so quiet he wasn't sure Alex had heard him.

Alex smiled, wide and beautiful, and then laughed giddily. "I owe you a date."

It wasn't an I love you, but right now, it meant so much more.  
...  
..  
.  
* _Three Days Later*_

Michael groaned and hid his face in Alex's shoulder when he heard a knock on Alex's door. 

Alex let out a huff and they exchanged an annoyed look before he dragged himself off Alex's bed and went to open the door. 

They'd gone on the date Alex had asked him on the same day he'd come back and they hadn't spent a night apart since then. He and Alex hadn't really talked about what this thing between them was, though.

To Michael, it felt like a tentative start to a real relationship, but he was trying to keep himself from getting carried away. Because something was going on with Alex, who seemed to be holding himself back. Michael didn't push him, even though he wanted to know what was going on with him more than anything.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by a beaming Liz.

"Hey, Mikey!"

"Liz? What are you doing here?"

She shook the small bag she was holding. "Special delivery." She ducked under his arm, which had been blocking the door, and bounded over to Alex, who had followed Michael out of the bedroom. Michael followed, bewildered, and smiled as he watched Alex smile shyly down at her because of whatever she said. He left them alone and went into the kitchen, needing a cup of coffee.

"You want coffee, Liz?" He called out when the brew was done.

"Nah," she said, a lot closer to him than he anticipated. He whirled around and found himself face to face with her. "I'm gonna go."

He frowned. "Already?"

She smiled. "This might have escaped your notice, Michael, but Alex doesn't remember me. He doesn't remember any of us, except _you_ ," she pointed out, a teasing smile on her face. 

"He doesn't remember me, either," he protested. It felt like a lie, even though it technically wasn't.

"Tell that to his face."

Michael rolled his eyes and pushed her playfully in the direction of the door. 

"I'm going, I'm going!" She laughed. 

"You're both coming to Max's for dinner tomorrow," she said loudly. At the door, she pointed a finger at him. "Seriously, be there. We miss you two."

He smiled. "I'll talk to Alex."  
...  
..  
.

"Are you gonna tell me what Liz brought you?" Michael said, his hand playing with the end of Alex's shirt.

Alex stilled and then nodded. He sat up from his reclined position against Michael's chest and grabbed the bag Liz had given him. Before Michael was able to get over his surprise at Alex's easy agreement, he surprised him again when he took out a syringe filled with a clear liquid and put it on the table top, right next to Michael's beer. 

Michael frowned at him in confusion. "What's this?"

"It's a serum that, in theory, should counteract the effects of Butyricol."

Michael grinned. "Alex, that's-" he stopped talking and watched Alex for a few seconds. His enthusiasm evaporated. "What's the matter?"

"It's only been four days since things settled down and nearly everyone in your- _our_ group of friends has told me that I'm different now. Happier, more confident, actually _out_. And I just-" he took a breath and grabbed the syringe, staring at it like it held the answers to all his questions.

Maybe it did.

"What if I get my memories back and all that goes away? What if I go back to hiding? I don't want that for us; I want us to go on dates and I want to hold your hand and kiss you, in public, without being afraid." 

Michael took the syringe from his hands and gently placed it on the table. He then reached up and wiped away the tear that were running down Alex's cheek. "You are enough, memories or no memories, out or hiding. You are enough." His face crumbled and a sob broke free from his chest. Michael pulled him in, and Alex buried his face in the crook of his neck, which seemed to be his favorite hiding spot. Michael stroked his hair gently. "The choice is yours, but I want you to remember that I love you, okay? And as long as I get to have you, all of you, _any_ version of you, I don't care about anything else." 

Alex shook his head. "That's not true and you know it."

Michael stiffened and used his grip on his neck and face to pull him away far enough to look into his eyes. "I just want to be with you, Alex. I'm not gonna lie and say I didn't enjoy being out in public with you, but- I love who you are now, the same way I love who you were before. That's not gonna change." Michael stretched up and pressed his lips to Alex's forehead. "I promise you," he whispered, "it will never, ever change."

Alex sniffled. "You promise?"

Michael smiled and pecked his lips. "I promise."

"What do you want, Alex?"

"I want to remember you," he answered immediately.

Michael's heart swelled. "I love you for that, I do, but I need you to make this choice for _you_. Us, we can make new memories, easily. I need you to decide what's best for you, Alex. Just you."

"I want to remember. I want to remember why being with you makes me feel so damn happy when I barely know you. I want to remember Liz, Kyle and Maria and Rosa. I want to remember Max and Isobel. I- I want them to stop looking so damn sad when they looka t me. You're- you're amazing and these past few days with you have been wonderful."

"But?" Michael prompted.

Alex took a breath and looked at him sadly. "When I look at you, it feels like there's a hole in my chest. It's almost like I miss you, even though you're right here. I want you back. All of you. I want to keep making new memories, but I don't want to erase the old ones to do it."

Michael wondered if there would ever come a time when he stopped being in awe of who Alex was, and guessed the answer would always be a resounding no. 

He smiled at him softly and squeezed his hand. "Are you sure?"

Alex nodded and took a deep breath. "I am."

Michael watched him get up and then disappear into the bathroom. A couple of minutes later, he came back with a first aid box. He sat next to him, then, with a shaking hand, took out an alcohol swab. 

He presented the syringe to Michael. "Will you do it?" He asked him shakily. 

"You sure?" Alex swallowed and nodded, blowing out a nervous breath. "And are you sure it's safe?"

Alex shrugged. "Liz did her best, but it's not like she tried it on a human subject yet."

Michael swallowed thickly. "Okay." He kissed him again, hoping he was able to convey his love and his fear and his worry in that touch. "Okay. Please don't die?"

Alex cracked a smile. "I'll do my best."

"Alex, if this doesn't work, I want you to remember what I told you before, okay? I love you, with or without your memories."

Alex nodded, his smile fond. "I will."

"Alright, here goes everything."  
....  
...  
..  
.  
* _Two Weeks Later_ *

"Alright! Second first date, how are we feeling?!" 

Michael rolled his eyes. Isobel barging in wasn't new, but he really didn't want her to witness another breakdown of his. Especially not one over a date.

"Uh oh."

"What do you mean, uh oh?" Michael snapped. 

Isobel both eyebrows and both her hands. "Whoah."

Michael rubbed a hand down his face in frustration. "Sorry."

Isobel waved him off and steered him back to sit on the bed. "What's this about?"

"I've been dreaming about going on a date with Alex for over ten years, Iz."

"And?" 

"And I'm taking him to the _Crashdown_ , Iz." He shook his head. "What if I'm not good enough for him?"

"Then you wouldn't be going on this date."

"What?"

She gave him a pointed look. "This is Alex Manes we're talking about. If he didn't think you were worth his time, he wouldn't be spending any of it with you."

He let out a laugh and straightened. "You're probably right."

"I am. Plus, this isn't your first date with Alex."

Michael shook his head. "It is with this Alex. The one who knows all my screw ups and insecurities and my bad habits. The one who knows I'm a criminal-"

"Stop." She took his shoulders in her hands and shook him. "You are not a criminal." He shot her a look and she rolled her eyes. "You're not a criminal _anymore_. And-" 

The sound of a knock cut her off and Michael felt his heartrate skyrocket. Isobel smiled widely and pushed him up. "Go get your man."

He looked back at her, and smiled. "Thanks for being here, Iz."

She merely waved him off with a smile.

He opened the door and the breath was knocked out of him at the sight of Alex, wearing a green button up with the sleeves rolled up and showing off the corded muscles, standing at the steps of his airstream. 

_He was going out on a date with Alex Manes._

Alex smiled, wide and open and earnest, and Michael forgot how to breathe. "Hey," he greeted him breathlessly. 

"Hi," Alex laughed and shook his head, "I'm nervous," he admitted with a soft laugh, out of the blue.

" _Fuck_ , me too," Michael let out in a rush. And somehow, admitting that to Alex eased the nerves exponentially. He closed the gap between them and pulled him in for a kiss. 

Alex smiled at him teasingly when he pulled away. "I thought we're supposed to kiss at the end of the date, not before it."

Michael shrugged. "When have we ever done what we were supposed to do?"

Alex snorted. "You've got a point."

He led him to his truck and to his surprise, Alex reached for Michael's keys. Michael handed them over without objection, but he didn't hide his confusion. "You want to drive?"

"Yeah. We're taking a little detour."

"Why don't we just drive your car then?"

Alex opened the driver's door. "You'll see," he told him with a mischievous grin on his face.

Michael stood rooted In place beside the truck and just watched him. Alex seemed lighter, happier. He seemed _free_. 

"What?" He asked with a laugh, door still open.

Michael shrugged and smiled. "Nothing."

"Well, get in then."

"Yes, _sir_!"  
....  
...  
..  
.

Michael laughed. "Seriously, Alex? The drive in?" 

Alex nodded and parked the truck so that the bed of it was facing the screen. When he looked at him, there was a nervousness in his posture that Michael rarely saw. "I messed up that night, and I regret it a lot."

Michael looked down. "We both messed up."

"I know. But, I could have handled it better. A lot better." 

Michael lowered the tailgate and sat, patting the space beside him. Alex sat down beside him and Michael pulled him into his side. "How about we enjoy tonight and forget about what happened in the past?" He suggested quietly, pressing a kiss to his head. 

"Captain Manes? That you?" Someone called out. Michael could see someone about ten feet away, and he was making his way over to them.

"Yeah, Dale, it's me."

Michael expected Alex to spring away from him, and from the tense muscles under his hands, that had been his instinct, but instead he took a breath and very slowly removed himself from Michael's embrace and made sure to stay close.

"Hey, man," he greeted Dale, getting up to shake his hand. Michael stood up and did the same.

"Thanks for doing this."

"No problem, Cap'n. You two have a good night," he said with a smirk, then gave the two of them a suggestive wink.

Michael laughed and Alex seemed to be trying very hard to keep his composure. He rolled his eyes at him and Michael only laughed harder.

They lay the blanket Alex had brought with him in the bed of the truck, and once they were settled, Alex put a small bag in his lap. 

He inspected the contents and grinned. "You trying to put me in a sugar coma, Alex?" He teased, trying to cover up how much it touched him that Alex remembered his favorite snacks. It was stupid, but it meant a lot to Michael. 

"Thank you," he said softly, leaning sideways to kiss him briefly. 

Alex pushed a stray curl off his head and smiled at him. "You're welcome. I hope you're gonna share?"

"Now, you know I love you, Alex, but I might have to think about that."

Alex shoved him away gently and stuck his hand inside the bag, picking something at random. The triumphant smile slid off his face as he pulled a face at the bag of candy corn in his hand. "I don't know how you eat this shit."

"Hey! Candy corn's awesome-"

He stopped talking as the music abruptly started and the opening credits showed up on screen. Michael let out a startled laugh as he recognized the movie. "Seriously, Mars attacks?" 

"It was the movie they showed the last time," Alex protested. "Hey, I was trying to be sentimental. Stop laughing!" Despite his words, Alex himself was laughing, too.

Michael couldn't stop for some reason. Maybe it was because this was the happiest he'd been in a long time. Maybe it was because he finally had Alex, all of him, and they were building something together, the _forever_ kind of something. Once their laughter died down, Alex reached out a hand and settled it on his chest. "You know, there's been something I've been meaning to tell you for the past eleven years- give or take."

Michael's heart thundered in his chest and he nearly stopped breathing. "What's that?" He asked breathlessly.

"I love you. More than I'll ever be able to tell you. More than any words can describe. I never stopped loving you, every single part of you."

Michael let out a breath and let his head come to rest on Alex's breast bone. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to hear you say that?"

His only answer was a searing kiss that left him breathless and unaware of anything except the man he loved. Alex pushed him down so that he was flat on his back and kissed him again, hands drifting under his shirt. 

"We're gonna miss the movie," he muttered against Alex's lips.

Alex pulled away and dropped himself on an elbow. He raised an eyebrow. "You wanna watch the movie, or do you want to make out with me?"

Michael clutched his shirt in his hand and dragged him in, so the he was flush against him. Their lips were a breath apart, and he enjoyed the way their proximity seemed to effect Alex, whose breath stuttered and then quickened. "Of _course_ I want to watch the movie."

Alex closed his eyes and shook his head. "You're such a little shit."

"Maybe-" Michael shrugged, and his love for the other man must have been written all over his face because the mask of annoyance fell away and was replaced by a small, fond smile. "- _but you love me_."

Alex pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Michael's cheek. "I really, really, do."

**Author's Note:**

> If you've actually reached this point, thanknyou for reading and if you have the time, let me know what you though? 👀


End file.
